Protector of Aborigines facts for kids

The office of the Protector of Aborigines was created a long time ago in Australia. It was set up after a special report from the British Parliament in 1838. This report suggested that people should be appointed to look after the rights of Indigenous Australians.

These Protectors were chosen by groups like the Aboriginal Protection Board. Their main job was to learn Australian Aboriginal languages and protect Indigenous Australians, including Torres Strait Islander people. They were supposed to guard their property and keep them safe from unfair treatment. The Port Phillip Protectorate was one of the first groups set up for this, with George Augustus Robinson as the chief.

While the Protectors were meant to help, their role also gave them a lot of control. They could decide where Indigenous people lived and even who they could marry. They also managed their money.

Over time, the laws changed. In 1969, the Aborigines Welfare Board in New South Wales was closed. By then, all states had stopped the laws that allowed children to be removed from their families. This removal policy is now known as the Stolen Generations.

Who Were the Protectors of Aborigines?

Many people held the role of Protector across Australia. Here are some of them.

Protectors in Victoria

In Victoria, this system was called the Port Phillip Protectorate. It ran from 1839 to 1849.

• George Augustus Robinson, Chief Protector (1839–1849)
• James Dredge, Assistant Protector (1839–1840)
• Charles Sievwright, Assistant Protector for the Western District (1838–1842)
• Edward Stone Parker, Assistant Protector for the Loddon and Northwest District (1839–1849)
• William Thomas, Assistant Protector for the Central District (1839–1849)
• William Thomas, later Guardian of Aborigines (1850 onwards)

Protectors in South Australia

South Australia had both temporary and official Protectors.

Early Appointments (1836–1839)

• George Stevenson
• Captain Walter Bromley
• William Wyatt

Official Appointments

• Matthew Moorhouse, Protector (1839–1856). He was involved in a sad event at Rufus River.
• The Protector office was then stopped for a while (1856–1861). The Commissioner of Crown Lands took over the duties.
• John Walker, Protector (1861–1868)
• The role was empty until 1888. Sub-protectors did the work and reported to the Commissioner.
• Edward Lee Hamilton, Head Sub-protector (1873), then Protector (1873–1908)
• William Garnet South, Protector (1908–1923)
• Edward John Eyre, Sub-Protector on the Murray River (1841–1847)
• Edward Bate Scott, Sub-Protector on the Murray River (1848–1857), later Protector
• William Richard Penhall, Protector and Secretary of the Aborigines Protection Board (1939?–1953)
• From 1953 to 1962, several people held the role until it was officially ended by the Aboriginal Affairs Act 1962.
  • Clarence "Clarrie" Edmund Bartlett (1953–1962)
  • Walter MacDougall (1949–1962)
  • Bob Macaulay (1956–1962)
  • Colin Millar (1956–1962)

Some Protectors, like MacDougall and Macaulay, also worked as "Native Patrol Officers" for the Commonwealth government. This was during rocket testing at Woomera, including nuclear tests at Emu Field and Maralinga.

Protectors in the Northern Territory

Before 1911, the Northern Territory was part of South Australia. New laws in 1910 and 1918 created the Chief Protector office there.

• Walter Baldwin Spencer (1911–1914/16?)
• Xavier Herbert, late 1920s?
• Cecil Cook (1929–1937)
• William Edward Harney (1940–1947)

Protectors in Queensland

In Queensland, the role was called Chief Protector of Aboriginals. This office started in 1904. It took over from earlier Northern and Southern Protector roles. Later, it became the Director of Native Affairs Office in 1939.

• Walter Roth, Northern Protector of Aboriginals (1898–1904)
• Archibald Meston, Southern Protector of Aboriginals (1898–1903)

Chief Protector of Aboriginals Office (1904–1939)

• An unknown person held the role from 1904–1914.
• John William Bleakley (1914–1939). He later became Director of Native Affairs.

Protectors in Western Australia

• Henry Charles Prinsep (1898–1907)
• Charles Frederick Gale (1907–1915)
• Auber Octavius Neville (1917–1936). He was later Commissioner of Native Affairs.
• Francis Illingworth Bray (1940–1947), Commissioner of Native Affairs.
• Stanley Guise Middleton (1948–1962), Commissioner of Native Affairs.
• Frank Ellis Gare (1962–1972), the last Commissioner of Native Welfare.